People can suffer complications from taking medications that they’re supposed to take. So, you can only imagine how dangerous it is if someone ingests a medication that isn’t meant for them. Unfortunately, medication and prescription errors like that happen far more often than many people realize, and the consequences can include severe injury and even death.
Common Causes of Medication Errors
Prescription and medication mistakes are generally the result of human error. In many cases, a doctor, pharmacist, or some other type of medical professional makes a mistake that leads to a medication error. Here are a few common causes of medication and prescription errors:
- Miscommunication between a patient’s doctor and other medical professionals involved with the patient’s care
- Miscommunication between the patient and their doctor or some other medical professional handling their care
- A doctor, pharmacist, some other medical professional, or patient misreading a medical abbreviation
- Medications that look alike or medication names that sound alike
How to Avoid Prescription Errors
Despite the catastrophic ramifications that can result from medication and prescription errors, the actions that people can take to avoid suffering because of a mistake involving a medication they’re administered or prescribed are often simple. The most important thing people can do to avoid becoming a victim of a prescription or medication error is pay attention and ask questions, including but not limited to the following:
- How will this medication impact the other medications I’m currently taking?
- What foods, activities, drinks, and medications should I avoid while taking this new medication?
- What are the side effects of taking this medication?
These are just a few of the questions a patient should consider asking their doctor and/or pharmacist before taking a new medication.
For information about how Rash Mueller can help you if you or a loved one was the victim of a prescription or medication error, read our reviews and check out our case results.
To discuss your situation with our experienced prescription errors attorneys, call us at (954) 914-7116 or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation.